CONFERENCE AIMS TO GROW NUMBER OF LATINO TEACHERS
CONFERENCE AIMS TO ADD MORE LATINO EDUCATORS

Two San Diego County groups will host a conference March 9 aimed at lowering Latino boys’ dropout rates by increasing the number of Latino educators.

Leaders in business, education and public policy are encouraged to attend, as well as community members interested in learning more about the issue.

Latino boys are nearly four times more likely than whites to drop out of school, and only 18 percent of Latinos hold an associate degree or better, according to a 2010 report by the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center.

Part of the reason for that is the lack of minority role models in the classroom, according to the report based on a series of discussions with minority educators and advocates throughout the country.

To address the problem, Encuentros — a Vista-based group seeking to increase the number of Latino boys who will go to college — is partnering with Cal State San Marcos to host the conference titled “The Face of the American Educator: Addressing the Latino Male Shortage” at Mt. San Jacinto College in Menifee.

“We hope to attract plenty of interested parties … to address this shortage of male teachers and spur action to create some homegrown teacher training programs at our K-12, community college and university institutions,” said Mark Evilsizer, a member of Encuentros and a board member for Palomar College in San Marcos.

Evilsizer said he hopes the conference will be the beginning of a series of efforts aimed at encouraging Latino boys to graduate from high school and pursue college degrees in education.

Registration for the event costs $25 or $15 for students. For information or to register, call (760) 750-8729.